How do intoxicated patients impact staff in the emergency department? An exploratory study

To investigate staff perceptions of the burden of alcohol-related presentations on emergency departments (ED) in New Zealand and the impact on staff of alcohol-related ED presentations.

A survey of Wellington Regional Hospital ED staff was conducted using a written questionnaire to measure the impact of alcohol on: staff assault rates, perceived workload, quality of care, and staff mood. In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted with six ED staff to further explore impacts of alcohol on ED, analysed using thematic analysis.

Forty-seven staff members responded to the questionnaire. Assault rates from alcohol-affected patients were high, particularly amongst nurses. These were mostly verbal assaults. Staff mood was negatively affected and perceptions of workload increased by alcohol-related presentations. Views on whether quality of care of intoxicated patients was affected were mixed although most reported a negative impact on other patients. Interviews confirmed the survey results, confirming the negative impacts of alcohol-related presentations on staff and on the treatment of both intoxicated and non-intoxicated patients.

This small exploratory study found that alcohol-related presentations have a negative impact on ED staff workload and safety, and may compromise treatment of all patients. More research is needed to corroborate these findings and to investigate policies to reduce the impacts of alcohol-related presentations in the ED.